Hiruko

Early morning.

Uchiha Military Police Force Headquarters.

The Military Police Force building is situated within the Uchiha clan compound, connected directly to the prison.

Because the arrest and incarceration of criminals occur in the same area, and due to the authority of the Military Police Force and the abuse of prisoners within the jail, many members of the Uchiha Military Police Force have become arrogant and overbearing, acting as if they are superior to everyone else.

Uchiha Sanzang is in the captain's office of the Military Police Force, handling official business, with the force's advisors, Nara and Fugaku, at his side.

"Uncle, according to intelligence, the owner of Yamato Izakaya appears to be a spy from Iwagakure. Should we deploy men to make an arrest?" Fugaku asks Sanzang for instructions after reviewing the documents.

"Do not alert the enemy. Arresting a spy who has already been exposed is simple, but it is difficult to uncover those still in hiding. Follow the lead of the Yamato Izakaya owner and slowly trace the vine to find the melon. There is no need to rush."

Uchiha Sanzang answers without looking up.

Nara is also reviewing various Military Police Force files.

"Yesterday, the patrol team arrested three merchants. Counting those, we have arrested seventeen merchants this month alone. Including previous arrests, dozens are already imprisoned, some for as long as two months. Father, what is the standard for punishing these merchants?" Nara asks Sanzang while looking at the files.

"There is no standard. Lock them up until they are terrified, until they are afraid, until they submit to the education of the Military Police Force."

"What! No standard!? Father, how can the laws established by the Military Police Force have no standard? Wouldn't that mean the members can act as they please and do whatever they want!"

For the past three years, Nara has focused his energy on cultivation and managing the clan's administrative office; as for the Konoha Military Police Force, he has barely checked in.

"The Military Police Force has always been this way. The Second Hokage established it, and the Third Hokage permitted it. What is the problem?"

"A Military Police Force like this will only make the villagers of Konoha fearful and hateful!"

Only now does Nara have a profound realization of the brutality of the Konoha Military Police Force, and a deep fear—not a fear of power, but a fear of being resented by the villagers of Konoha.

With the Konoha Military Police Force acting in such a manner, how could the villagers and the various small ninja clans not be afraid?

In a state of fear and dread, they naturally view the Uchiha Military Police Force, and the Uchiha clan that controls it, as their enemies.

"The glory of the Uchiha clan is built upon the fear of others. Nara, you will understand once you have had more contact with it." Sanzang looks up and smiles.

To Nara, this smile from Sanzang is truly sinister.

"Father, Konohagakure is a ninja village. Have you ever considered that many of these villagers have ninjas behind them, or come from ninja families? If the Military Police Force acts like this, are you not afraid of being boycotted by the entire ninja population of Konoha!?"

"Who dares to boycott us? Whoever boycotts us will be thrown into prison," Sanzang says dismissively.

"The Uchiha clan is indeed powerful, with over a thousand ninjas. Father! Konohagakure is a ninja village with tens of thousands of ninjas living here! No matter how powerful the Uchiha clan is, it is impossible to stand against tens of thousands of ninjas!"

Nara's governance of the Uchiha clan has yielded remarkable results, and he has finally been able to spare the energy to focus on the Military Police Force, gaining some understanding of its brutality.

The uniforms of the Konoha Military Police Force bear the Uchiha crest—a fan depicted in the center of a shuriken. The Uchiha clan emblem is on the insignia of the force.

This is simply asking for hatred; despite being an official organization of Konoha, those who have been disciplined by the force grow to hate the Uchiha from that day forward.

"You are too pessimistic." Sanzang shakes his head. Within the clan's residences, Sanzang is relatively willing to listen to reason, but in the captain's office of the Military Police Force, he seems unable to hear these concerns.

The Military Police Force is indeed a department many Konoha ninjas wish to join, but it is controlled entirely by the Uchiha, making it difficult for non-Uchiha to enter.

Hearing Uchiha Sanzang's words, Nara knows that when people become too arrogant, disaster is sure to follow. If the Uchiha continue to act this way, they will sooner or later be overthrown by the working masses of Konoha.

"Father, I must change the atmosphere of the Military Police Force. I will establish relevant laws and refine the departments and responsibilities: those for catching spies, those for patrolling and managing merchants, those for arresting criminal ninjas, those for handling reports from villagers, those for managing the prison, and those for combat."

"Everything must be separated, with responsibilities divided among departments, rather than one officer managing everything!"

"For the sake of this goal, for the sake of managing the Konoha Military Police Force well, and for the sake of the Uchiha clan, it would be best if I were to take on the role of captain!" Uchiha Nara says in a deep voice.

"Heh, Konoha Military Police Force? It is better to call it the Uchiha Military Police Force here. It doesn't matter if you want to be captain; as long as you can defeat me, I can hand it over to you at any time."

Sanzang shakes his head, dismissive. Although his son is excellent, as a captain who has become accustomed to being the supreme authority, he still feels his son is too young.

"Defeating you is enough? You said it yourself, then I challenge you right now!"

Uchiha Nara's eyes instantly turn red, and three tomoe slowly rotate within his crimson irises.

Fugaku, standing nearby, is unimpressed by Nara's bold words. Currently, the strongest person in the Uchiha clan on paper is Uchiha Sanzang. He has arrested countless criminals, and no one has ever been able to escape his capture.

Anyone who resists him ends up lost in genjutsu, only to wake up inside Konoha Prison.

"Duels are not allowed in the Military Police building. We will talk about it tonight, son. I will give you a chance to challenge me."

Sanzang's temperament is actually quite steady, and he is a family man who is very affectionate toward his wife and children.

However, it seems that whenever he is in the captain's office of the Military Police Force, Sanzang transforms into that type of person who believes he is the supreme authority.

"Fine, Father. Then I will go back and prepare!" Nara rises and leaves.

Sanzang watches the direction in which Nara left, shakes his head, and continues to handle official business.

"Fugaku, you take charge of that Yamato Izakaya. Uproot them entirely. It doesn't matter if you have to be patient."

"Yes!"

In their interactions over recent years, Sanzang has actually come to appreciate Fugaku, discovering many of his strengths: he is steady, respects his superiors, does not challenge authority, unites his colleagues, and is respected by the clan members.

Nara is confident about the challenge tonight. As long as there is no Mangekyo Sharingan involved, it is impossible for anyone to take him down.

Sanzang is over forty, and while his strength has not yet begun to decline, his long tenure in power has caused his practical combat experience to atrophy.

His battle record was nothing more than the humiliation of a few Konoha chunin and genin. As a Uchiha jonin, wasn't capturing such low-to-mid-level ninja supposed to be a simple task?

Naraku could not understand where his father Sanzang's invincible confidence came from. Shaking his head, he wandered through the streets of Konoha.

Before long, he arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. Seeing this famous noodle shop, Naraku couldn't help but smile as he lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

"Mr. Teuchi, one bowl of ramen, please!" At this time, Teuchi was still a young man, not yet the middle-aged uncle he would become.

"Coming right up, please wait a moment."

Just as Naraku sat down, the curtain was lifted again, and another ninja walked in.

"One bowl of miso ramen."

The voice was soft, yet magnetic.

Naraku looked toward the customer. He had flowing white hair draped over his shoulders and a small red mole between his eyebrows. He wore the standard Konoha tactical vest and stood nearly 1.7 meters tall.

Naraku recognized this ninja at a glance: the developer of the Chimera Technique, Hiruko.

Naraku remained calm, broke his chopsticks, and began to eat his ramen while the intelligence he had on Hiruko flashed through his mind.

Hiruko lamented his own lack of talent and developed forbidden techniques after the Second Great Ninja War. When the Third Hokage discovered this, he dispatched the Sannin to hunt him down.

After narrowly escaping, Hiruko lurked in the outskirts of Konoha. He coveted the Sharingan; unable to obtain one from the Uchiha, he set his sights on Kakashi.

Hiruko's ability to develop ninjutsu and his scientific research capabilities were on par with Orochimaru's, and the Chimera Technique he created was a predatory form of ninjutsu.

He spent over twenty years clinging to life to perfect it. If I were to provide him with funding and protection, could we collaborate on its development and help him complete it in a short time?

Thoughts raced through Naraku's mind.